


Liking You and Me

by thegraeyone



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Idiots in Love, M/M, Secret Relationship, Sneaking Around, dumb idiot boys, kaiba learns the meaning of friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-23 01:01:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17673422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegraeyone/pseuds/thegraeyone
Summary: Alternative Title: 4 Times Joey and Kaiba Had to Sneak Around (and 1 Time They Don't)It had started simply enough: hands brushing together during drawn out card games, held gazes during heated arguments, leading to hesitant kisses underneath street lights walking home from the game shop, and the more certain press of bodies in stolen moments behind the school or in the car or wherever they could find time alone. It was the sort of messy attraction between two teenagers who couldn't put words to their feelings and weren't really sure what they were doing.And then Seto Kaiba had asked Joey Wheeler out on a date.





	Liking You and Me

1.

It had started simply enough: hands brushing together during drawn out card games, held gazes during heated arguments, leading to hesitant kisses underneath street lights walking home from the game shop, and the more certain press of bodies in stolen moments behind the school or in the car or wherever they could find time alone. It was the sort of messy attraction between two teenagers who couldn't put words to their feelings and weren't really sure what they were doing.

And then Seto Kaiba had asked Joey Wheeler out on a date.

(The exact exchange, which neither would let the other forget, taking place by the bike racks after Joey made some excuse to lag behind, went like this:

"Do you want to get something to eat?"

"What for?"

"What do you mean what for? Are you hungry? Would you like to go somewhere?"

"Wait, are you asking me out? Like for real?"

"Do you want a free meal or not?"

Joey was laughing too hard at the red flush of Kaiba's face to say no.)

They settled across from each other in the red vinyl booths of Burger World, in the back corner, away from the wide windows that looked out onto the busy street. Joey slumped forward, playing with the paper of his straw as Kaiba sat ramrod straight, fingers curled together in front of him. Neither had said much since ordering, and Joey looked over at Kaiba, who was doing a very good job of looking everywhere else.

"So what's the deal?" he asked, because the question had been bothering him the whole time.

Kaiba's attention was focused all the way on the other side of the restaurant, where the busted drink machine dripped soda onto the spill tray. Joey nudged him with his foot under the table, and lazily he drew his gaze back.

"Seriously," Joey said. "What're we doing?"

"Waiting for a burger," he replied simply and shouted when Joey kicked him. He leaned back in his seat with a scowl. "I don't know. That's the problem."

Joey didn't really see the problem with it, but he nodded anyway. "So wanna, like, do this for real? Go on dates and hold hands and share milkshakes or whatever?"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed in the expression he reserved for the particularly stupid things that Joey said, but instead of picking apart his last statement, he only asked, "Do you?"

They stared each other down. A challenge had been issued. Nested in the back of each of their brains was a single thought. So maybe Kaiba did want to go on real dates, not just hurried meetings when no one else was around, and it was possible that when they walked closely together down the street or in the halls that Joey imagined reaching over and curling his fingers around Kaiba's. But the person who admitted it first, the first to show an ounce of vulnerability, they'd lost whatever game it was they were playing. Besides, Joey wasn't going to stroke Kaiba's ego anymore by admitting things ran deeper than they'd let on, and Kaiba wasn't about to expose his desires if there was a chance they'd be thrown back in his face.

The intensity of their expressions was usually saved for dueling. It occurred to Kaiba this was the sort of them that had gotten them here in the first place, especially when Joey's foot hooked around his ankle, the worn down rubber of his sneakers leaving a scuff against Kaiba's loafers. With a sigh, he unfolded his hands and extended one across the table. Joey looked at it, discarding his straw wrapper, and gently touched his palm to his. Kaiba's long fingers intertwined with his, the manicured nail a strange contrast to the unevenness of Joey's fingers and the dark polish Yugi had painted on for him a week ago starting to chip. Kaiba's palm was cool. Joey ran his thumb across his knuckles, and Kaiba squeezed a little tighter in response.

"What are you two doing here?" a familiar voice asked, and their hands pulled apart so fast that Joey's elbow hit the back of his seat, and Kaiba dropped his arms to his side with his usual scowl cementing into place. Tea stood over them in her Burger World uniform, holding their order, which she dropped unceremoniously between them.

"Hey," Joey said quickly. "I thought you didn't work Thursdays."

"I picked up some extra shifts this week." She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at both of them. "I'm surprised it's just you two."

"The guys ditched us." He smiled up at her. "And I was hungry, so I made Kaiba here buy."

Her sharp gaze turned to him. Kaiba was now inspecting an ancient ketchup stain in the hard top of the table, and he said nothing at all.

"As long as you two are getting along," she said.

"You know us," Joey said, and that seemed to settle things. She waved them off as she went to grab the next order.

Joey reached for his burger before the grease could congeal. Kaiba took a fry and chewed thoughtfully on it. They both waited until Tea was distracted dealing with a large order from a family, and when the kid in the booth behind them was crying too loud for anyone else to hear.

"So," Kaiba said, picking the paper off his burger and looking only moderately displeased. "Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

Joey swallowed down the bite he'd taken and reached for the rest of his soda. "Okay."

 

2.

It didn't change things a whole lot. Neither expressed out loud why they preferred it this way, with knees pressed together beneath tables and excuses made to slip away together. Joey always struggled with opening up to his friends, even after everything they've been through together. Kaiba's rigid reticence might be rooted in his desire for control, and this being his first experiment with having friends, he wondered if their relationship might upset the current balance that had formed. He didn't express this thought aloud, and Joey never countered it. They remained secret.

Tonight they'd gathered in the room above Kame Game to play something Yugi's grandpa had recently purchased. Everyone clustered around the small table, laughing and joking as Yugi explained the rules. Joey knew the second he started saying things like "resource cards" and "victory points" that Kaiba would enjoy it. He'd never really gotten comfortable in the shop, even after apologies had been made and fences mended, but tonight he managed to relax. Joey was out early, so he sat at Kaiba's side, chin in his hand so their elbows touched, mocking him every time Yugi managed to surround his game pieces. As the game neared its inevitable end, Joey stretched obnoxiously, intentionally knocking into Kaiba as he did. Kaiba shoved him away, and he laughed as he staggered to his feet.

Yugi's kitchen was not so far away from where the others sat. Tristan talked loudly about the clubs he'd joined this year while Tea bragged about the applications she'd submitted to the schools in New York. Their voices came muffled and were occasionally punctuated with a jeer as someone got the upperhand. Chip bags and soda cans littered the counter. Joey picked through them before deciding on a can of Sprite. The release of pressure and fizz coincided with a victory cheer, and he smiled as he brought it to his lips.

The laughter lifted in the other room, but Joey remained. He was rewarded for his patience a few minutes later when Kaiba flounced in, lips sneering, hands wringing. His eyes snapped to Joey as he let out a small laugh. He set his soda down and reached up, brushing the dark hair back to see his furrowed brow. Kaiba grabbed his hand but didn't push him away.

"You lost, huh," Joey said.

"He is the most infuriating--" Kaiba breathed in through his teeth and let it go. "It's not like you did any better."

He shrugged as he picked lint off Kaiba's shirt. "Not my kind of game."

Kaiba knew what he was doing, the way he got touchy in small ways. Joey's eyes were on him, a smile settled onto the curve of his lips, and Kaiba leaned down to kiss it. It was an afterthought of a move, unplanned and unregistered. It was almost troubling the way Joey's smile fitted into his routine of things. When they'd started, his kisses were casual and thoughtless and sent Kaiba reeling every time. Now it was like blinking, never really thought about, but noticed when the time between was too much. Until Joey tilted his head like that, lips parting, and then the whole metaphor really fell apart.

"Hey," Joey said, voice quiet as he pulled away, almost hard to hear over whatever argument was starting in the other room. "I like this."

"What?" Kaiba asked. "Sneaking around five feet from where your friends are sitting?"

"Your friends too," he reminded him. His lips folded together, and he tugged on his shirt. "I mean I like hanging out together. I like you."

Kaiba's usual quickfire response died on his lips. It shouldn't have been entirely out of place for his boyfriend to tell him that, yes, he was fond of him and their time in each other's company, and despite victory and losses, he was having fun, so long as they were together. It wasn't an ardent declaration of love, but it still bloomed a flower garden in Kaiba's chest.

The shouting from the other room was louder, and Yugi appeared in the doorway, shoulders shaking with laughter as he said, "What do you guys want on your pizza?"

Kaiba's stupidly tall body blocked Joey from seeing his friend's face, until he brushed past, making a show of inspecting the sodas. Joey picked up his own drink and smiled at Yugi, whose bubbly expression was hindered only slightly by the mild confusion.

"Tell Tristan I'm not eating Hawaiian," Joey said, as though nothing had transpired at all.

An angry shout from the other room told him the rather rude response to that.

"What about you, Kaiba?" Yugi asked.

Kaiba still had his back to Yugi, but Joey could see the flush cross his face, and he brought his drink to his lips so he could blame the fuzzy feeling on the carbonation. Kaiba picked up the melon Fanta (the one he always complained about how sweet it was when Joey bought it from the vending machine) and pretended he was reading the label.

"Order something for everyone," he said. "I'll pay."

"You don't have to do that," Yugi said.

Joey grinned. "Don't talk him out of it. Moneybags can afford a couple of pizzas for his friends."

Yugi shrugged and returned to the others to share the good news. Kaiba discarded the drink and tried to find something to stare at besides Joey's proud look. They didn't say anything else, but they didn't have to.

 

3.

But most of the time it went like this:

School was boring and didn't provide much concrete help to either Joey or Kaiba's future ambitions. (Kaiba only continued to attend because Mokuba said so, and he'd had so many absences that the school was starting to get mad, and it shouldn't do anything except it did make Mokuba sigh sadly and one day he was going to break out the "I'm not mad I'm just disappointed" and Kaiba would rather bury himself alive.)

So two teenagers with little patience, who spent a lot of time thinking about other things and also sat close enough to each other that Joey could flick paper balls at Kaiba's desk and Kaiba could make sure his ugly metal briefcase hit him every time he went to his seat, they looked for something better to do.

There was a utility closet down the hall that went unbothered during school hours. It smelled like mildew from old mops and the sharp cut of cleaning supplies and was about as well ventilated as a four square foot closet was going to be but it worked. For their purposes it worked.

Their purposes being hands pressed against warm skin beneath school uniforms and the heat of each other's mouths as they shared messy kisses and the tug of hair and the pull of teeth. Kaiba called it cliche and stupid, disappearing between lessons to shove their tongues down each other's throats, but he never protested whenever Joey pulled him in with his arms wrapped around his waist. Kaiba was the loud one, though Joey laughed incessantly at almost every touch and kiss. Kaiba knew he was onto something when the laughter stopped and the only sound that passed from his lips was Joey's quickened breathing and the occasional murmured swear.

Two hormone addled teenagers with no impulse control could not be expected to sit in a classroom when they could be doing this instead.

(They supposed, also, that this was part of the appeal. It was secret and they could get caught and there was a thrill there that didn't involve dying or having their soul stolen or being dragged into someone else's destiny. Those chumps back in class had to sit through a dull history lesson while Joey got to decorate Kaiba's neck with his teeth, teasing him that he wore those stupid turtlenecks anyway so no one was going to notice. Sometimes, from where he was sitting, he could see the purple edge of a hickey peeking out from the dark fabric of his clothes, and that was thrilling too.)

And when it'd definitely been too long, they stood apart with swollen lips and flushed faces and chests pounding like they'd run a marathon and it was the one time they didn't curl their fingers together because even the lightest touch would have them going again and someone was bound to notice eventually. But Kaiba thought he was presentable enough, dodging away from Joey as he went to muss his hair again, and they stepped back out into the hall. It was empty, and the clock ticked steadily towards the end of the day. Soon everyone would be out and Joey half considered staying, sliding into the exodus of students like he'd been there all along, and he tugged gently on Kaiba's jacket, which hadn't been buttoned up all the way.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Kaiba looked at him, because it wasn't the usual question after their hardcore make out sessions. Joey's hand moved up to his collar, close enough to feel his warm touch on his chin.

"Good," he said and thought about Joey's whispered _I like this_ like a secret he was scared to admit. Kaiba did like this, not just for the obvious reasons, but because he liked Joey and liked to be with him.

Before he could admit that, one Tristan Taylor, who got out of class early thanks to his club duties, strolled towards them in the hall. He stopped when he saw them, eying their clothes and their faces and their stance. Joey could see the lightbulb click on over his head and he let out a breath, ready to explain everything.

And then, Tristan said, "Were you guys fighting again?"

That was a better alibi than what they'd been working on. Joey's tender touch on Kaiba's jacket curled into a fist, and he tugged him off balance. Kaiba made a _tsk_ and swatted the arm away, like a gnat or a fly.

"Just a friendly disagreement," Joey said, rolling his shoulders back and giving Kaiba his best shark's grin.

Tristan put his arm around his friend and pulled him away, ducking their heads together. "Are you sure, man?"

Joey nudged him. "We're friends now, right? I wouldn't hurt a friend."

Kaiba rolled his eyes, and Joey wondered if he'd ever considered drama club because his ability to fold the personality of Seto Kaiba, arrogant billionaire, back over his shoulders like a well worn cloak was stunning.

"It'd be a waste of my time," he said. "Like you're wasting my time now."

He stalked off, not back to the classroom, and Joey supposed that solved that problem. Tristan still hugged his arm around his shoulder, not completely satiated.

"I know Yugi likes him," he said in a low voice, "but he's still kind of a creep."

Joey swallowed a laugh. "Maybe. He can be alright, some of the time."

"You let me know if he's ever bothering you."

Joey patted his friend's shoulder. "I don't think it'll be a problem."

 

4.

Kaiba hated the mansion and found its long halls and empty rooms similar to the decrepit castles of old horror. He fantasized about burning it down, and Joey said while arson made for good date material, he liked his giant TV and Gamecube more. Afternoons were spent splayed out, Joey's legs stretched across him, yelling at each other, and inevitably one of them would make a cheap move on Mario Kart, which always ended with them wrestling on the floor. Mokuba joined them sometimes, usually beaming a smile at his big brother. It was maybe the truest way to see Seto Kaiba, him sitting on the ground with his legs crossed, mashing the button on his controller, his brother draped over his shoulders, who was snickering every time Joey jumped playing Luigi's Mansion.

The mansion was a better spot anyway, if they wanted to enjoy themselves without having to worry about someone seeing. The staff that worked there signed twelve layers of non-disclosure agreements and Mokuba made a pinky promise not to blurt it out to the others. And when it was just the two of them, their controllers clattered useless on the ground as their hands found better things to hold. It didn't make the mansion feel any fuller or the memories any easier to bear, but Joey's arms were a comfort, and his murmured promises a kindling fire in the cold rooms.

Then Joey suggested he invite the whole gang over. Kaiba questioned why.

"They're your friends, dummy," he said, like that was reason enough. "And you love showing off how rich you are."

This was rue but not the point. Kaiba wrinkled his nose. "Are you saying you don't want to spend time alone with me anymore?"

Joey laughed and pressed a careless kiss to his face, one that mostly caught the corner of his mouth. "I'm saying I like spending time with you _and_ everyone else."

He knew exactly how to sway Kaiba ("Just do it you big baby"), and everyone was happy to spend an evening playing video games on Kaiba's giant wall sized screen. The darkened theater room housed their friends as cartoon characters struck wildly at each other across the screen, flashing an array of colors over their eager faces. Junk food of all kinds were brought in armfuls by everyone even though Kaiba proclaimed he had a staffed kitchen that could make them some real food. Mokuba turned out to be the champion to beat, and he bounced around the room with each victory, or ran to Kaiba's side to proudly show off his accomplishment. Joey sat on the floor, at Yugi's side, and he grinned up at where Kaiba perched in the seats to make sure he was having fun. When Kaiba got the upperhand in a round, he gave a triumphant shout and pumped his controller into the air, earning peals of the laughter from the others. Joey resisted every urge to kiss his big dumb idiot face.

He did, however, give up his controller and move beside him. There was no real excuse for it, considering the couch-like benches of the theater room meant they could all stretch out comfortable and never have to touch each other, but Yugi had practically been in his lap a few minutes ago, so there was no reason their shoulders couldn't touch and their arms couldn't press together so he could be there with his boyfriend and also his best friends. It was dark, and their eyes were focused on the screen, so no one was bound to notice anyway.

When this had all started, whenever that even was, because it was hard to parse out exactly when Kaiba became their friend and exactly when these bubbly feelings had formed and exactly what was the inciting incident of this whole relationship, they hadn't thought about it very much. It'd felt simple when it was just physical, an even exchange for two people on such uneven territory. They'd both been worried with the involvement of _feelings_ and _emotions_ that it'd make things harder. But this was nice. And it wasn't messy, or complex, even when one of them struggled to say the words they really meant or worked to let their guard down long enough for someone to get in or they let their fear get the better of them, it still managed to be like this.

(And maybe that was always the biggest thing holding them back. Maybe Kaiba knew the foundations of friendship in this group were built on solid stone, and Joey thought the joy of being together outweighed any secret thrill, and _they both liked each other_ so what was there to be afraid of. Besides someone holding your heart in the palm of their hand and being able to do with it what they wanted. Like Joey didn't know what it was like to feel the rug pulled out from beneath his feet and be left standing all alone. Like Kaiba hadn't had every ounce of trust ground out of him until all that was left was cold and hollow like the halls of this mansion. And in some ways, keeping this secret, it kept it from being real. Even when they wanted it to be.)

Joey's head slumped against Kaiba's shoulder. He really, really wanted it to be.

"Are you okay, Joey?" Tristan asked, which brought all eyes to the pair. The victory screen showed their characters clapping politely for the winner, a quiet celebration.

Joey sat straight up, and Kaiba's expression was stone as he looked at him. His face felt hot. He was happy for the darkness.

"Tired," he said and punctuated his statement with a big stretch, one that didn't knock Kaiba in the back of the head. "I worked this morning, remember?"

He hadn't, but there was no way his friends knew his actual work schedule. Kaiba leaned away from him, a frown on his lips. Joey reached for his controller as the game resumed. No one said anything, but he could feel Yugi looking at him, probably the same way Mokuba was looking at his brother. But the matter dropped, and no mention was made of it again.

 

1.

Supposedly Kaiba had gone all out for the one year anniversary of Kaiba Land. Tickets sold out immediately, which was fine, because he brought some for the group, and they thanked him before bombarding him with questions about every single event. It promised to be a full day.

Joey found Kaiba later and asked him if he'd be there.

"It's my event," he said and his face wrinkled in that way it did when thought about work or KaibaCorp or his many, many responsibilities. "I'll be overseeing it all day."

"Okay," Joey said and tried not to look disappointed. "I thought it'd be fun, you know? As a date?"

It was pretty much the most date-like thing they could do, and Joey didn't admit he had some bubblegum fantasy of playing carnival games and going on the Ferris wheel or presenting Kaiba with a stuffed Blue Eyes he loved so much. He didn't admit he wanted to hold hands and eat cotton candy and not worry if anyone saw.

The subject had been breached, gently. Kaiba knew how little Joey enjoyed lying to his friends, and if their interactions were going to be so obvious, then they might as well own it, which was Kaiba's philosophy on many things, but still he hesitated. He could consider everything this might affect--his position as CEO, his caretaking of his brother, the grapevine of gossip that would inevitably spring up, tabloids and people using words like _family friendly_ and _agenda_ in attempts to tear down what he'd built--but in truth he was being selfish. Once out there, this relationship would not be theirs anymore. Even among the rather intimate group of friends, it would be folded into the fabric of the others. Their relationship would become a spectator sport. And Kaiba was not a person who liked to share.

Joey looked at him, his brown eyes wide, his lips pursed in careful thought, his chin lifted to meet his gaze, and Kaiba wasn't sure he could deny him anything. But he also wouldn't make Joey a promise if he couldn't keep it.

"It'll be a full day," he said, pressing their palms together. "You won't even notice my absence."

It wasn't the answer he'd been looking for. Joey's hands left him, tucked back into the pockets of his jacket, head dipping down.

"Right, I get it," he said, and not even spitefully, or sadly, but as a matter of fact. He did get it, and he understood every reason Kaiba had to say no, and he didn't blame the guy, and he wasn't mad. Kaiba wished he'd get mad. It'd be so much easier to fight about.

He wasn't sure if they were fighting, but their usual routine was interrupted. They did not meet for haphazard kisses in the hall closet, and Joey rejected offers of a ride home or to go play games at the mansion. But he was still his cheerful and sweet self and he still sat beside him when the group gathered together, though their elbows knocked together less, and he folded his legs so their ankles did not hook together where no one could see.

Joey went with his friends to Kaiba Land on the day of the celebration. It was packed entirely with families and groups like theirs, screaming and shouting and squealing with excitement. Yugi struggled to keep up amid the crowd, and Joey stuck close to his friend to act as a buffer. Tea held the map as Tristan made demands, Bakura and Duke adding their input to the growing list of places to hit.

The place was stupid big, with Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragons decorating every inch of space. Banners announcing the celebration arched between tall poles, and the shops offered up special pins and goodies only purchased for a limited time, with families crowded around food stands. The gang raced straight to the rollercoasters first, hoping to dodge the worst of the lines, and they screamed and hollered through the loops and turns. Popcorn in big bags were purchased and shared by the fistful between them. They sped through one of the virtual theaters, whose realistic Duel Monsters soared and swooped past to the cries and excitement of the children around them. They rode the monorail around, their faces pressed to the windows as they pointed out things they hadn't done yet. By late afternoon, the lines were at their longest, and everyone decided to head into the building with the shortest wait time, helpfully marked "Monster Horror", which Joey politely declined. some mild teasing from the others didn't convince him, and he lounged on a bench outside. Yugi stayed with him, which Joey knew he only did for his benefit.

"I don't mind," Yugi said when Joey insisted he follow after. "I'm a little tired anyway."

Joey's excitement at the park was dulled some by the reminder that he would not see Kaiba today despite being surrounded by his logo and his dragons and his park. He scraped his teeth across his bottom lip and reminded himself that it was fine.

"Kaiba must be busy today," Yugi said with a leading tone, his big violet eyes looking up at Joey.

"It's his party," Joey muttered and watched the stone dragon spewing water into the fountain.

Yugi mulled over his next words, tugging on the sleeves of his long shirt. "I'd think he'd want to celebrate with his friends."

Joey didn't say anything to that. He knew what his friend was trying to get out, and as badly as he wanted to complain, or assure him, or just say the words out loud, he didn't. Yugi waited a moment longer before nodding.

"It's nice that we're all getting along," he said. "I always worry about Kaiba. But he's been friendly lately, and this was a nice gesture.'

"I think giving us tickets so we spend all our money on his park is a very _Kaiba_ gesture," Joey said. But he also remembered how Kaiba had stuffed the bills from his wallet into the hands of the pizza boy without a second thought, and how his kitchen staff prepared a full course dinner for when they played video games together, and how even small things seemed big when Kaiba did them.

He amended his statement with, "But he's trying."

After the others returned from the house of horrors, they continued their whirlwind tour of the park. Joey did feel his mood lifted, and he fell into step alongside his friends as they caught the shows and climbed onto more rides and complained loudly about their aching feet as they let the monorail take them in a circle around the park one more time.

Dusk settled in, and the crowds gathered in front of the castle to await the fireworks show. Their group huddled beneath the statue of three Blue Eyes who towered over them, claws curling, wings outstretched. Joey took out his keys and carved his name into the leg of one while they waited. The lights from the park lamps kept it from being truly dark, and the nighttime sky bled with Domino's neons all around them, but shadows still crossed their sleepy faces, and even the families seemed to have quieted as everyone's heads looked up towards the sky in anticipation.

Joey's concentration as he scratched tirelessly at the Y was shattered when he heard Tea say, "It's Kaiba."

His eyes went up, searching for a stage, or a blimp, or maybe he projected himself as a hologram in the sky, but he was working his way through the crowd in a simple black shirt and jeans, so utterly removed from his usual Kaiba Corp CEO persona that no one else seemed to notice. He stopped short of them and hesitated just a moment. Joey hopped down off the statue, quickly pocketing his keys.

"You're here," Joey said, and he didn't care how he sounded, like some lovesick girl who'd sat up by the phone all night. He didn't care that every single one of his friends' eyes burned against his back. He didn't care that Kaiba had definitely seen him defacing his property. He'd made it.

Kaiba didn't say anything. He only stood at Joey's side and reached down, curling their fingers together, and it was right then that the first firework exploded into the night sky. The crowd gawked as the red sparks burst against the moonless backdrop, and more soon followed. They thundered rapturously, painting the park in blues and pinks and warm and shining gold. The others kept their gazes up, distracting them from the couple. Joey squeezed Kaiba's hand tighter.

Kaiba was not watching the display, because he'd planned it, though he appreciated the gasps as his holograms made their appearance, mixing seamlessly with the charges. He watched Joey's face instead, the giddiness that overtook him, how his brown eyes reflected the lights from above, and his smile stretched so wide it seemed too big for his face, like he couldn't contain how happy he was. Kaiba felt it too, the relief of standing amid the crowd without comment, of being here, now, their hands clasped together, the reality of it all settling in around them like a warm blanket.

He kissed him. It was the only thing to do. The words escaped them, so they expressed their joy like this, Joey's laughter bubbling in his throat and spilling against Kaiba's lips like a witch's brew. It was infectious. He found himself smiling too.

"Jeez, we get it," Tristan said. "Get a room or something.

"I told you," Tea said, her eyes still on the show above them. The Dark Magician Girl danced past, and white sparks fell like comets around her.

Yugi only smiled at them, endlessly pleased, and that more than anything set the flush to Kaiba's face. Joey leaned against him, sticking his tongue out at the others. But they both watched the end of the event, Joey's arms wrapped around Kaiba, and Kaiba's head nested in his hair. As the final sparkler trailed a line of smoke against the sky, the crowd let out applause.

The lamps raised, casting warm light across the park. Kaiba waited patiently, but no more comments were passed up. Duke asked if they should sit in the Burger World, since they weren't getting out of here quickly anyway, and the others agreed. Joey and Kaiba kept holding hands as they followed a pace behind. Joey gave him an encouraging smile while they rested in the booths. Tea gushed over the show as Yugi and Bakura played with the kids toys and Tristan and Duke argued over which part they'd liked best. Kaiba's head leaned back against the seat. He was out with his boyfriend and his friends. No monumental shift, the world didn't end. Joey laughed, and the sound filled his head with fizzy bubbles. They were together, and he liked it.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic started as a joke and ballooned wildly out of control, not helped when I decided to look up [the Kaibaland map](https://yugioh.fandom.com/wiki/Kaiba_Land) for reference and spent two hours laughing about almost everything. The only reason I didn't include the 300 ft Kaiba statue in this is because I think it might've affected the mood, though if you'd like to imagine Joey Wheeler vandalizing that, please, be my guest.


End file.
